Poll Closed and Pregnancy Comparisons

The poll is officially closed, and the results are in. I will post them here, because I am going to delete the poll from my sidebar.

Which is more disgusting: to eat almonds that your toddler has chewed or to wipe the partially eaten almonds in the armpit of your daughter's sweater?

  • 8 votes: They're both gross.
  • 8 votes: Definitely to eat it!
  • 5 votes: Definitely to wipe it!
  • 2 votes: Neither is gross.

Which reaction was whose?

  • 11 votes: Mimi ate, and Jeff wiped.
  • 7 votes: Jeff ate, and Mimi wiped.

Well, well. I wish I could see who voted what, because I have a feeling that mothers, fathers, and nonparents might view this situation differently.

I ate the chewed almonds, and Jeff wiped it on her clothes. I must mention something here for the 16 people who think my reaction was gross: The almonds were not partially digested or thrown up; they were simply spit out. We had nowhere to put them (no wipes, no tissues, no paper, etc.), and we could not leave where we were, so I ate them. I eat a lot of things she doesn't eat. Hehe In my mind, that's just what moms do. Wouldn't want to waste food. :)

Jeff obviously disagrees with the eating and thinks that's gross. He wiped it on her clothes and thought it was a very good option. And since I do the laundry, I did not think that was a good option, nor did I relish the thought of possibly having others get the almonds on them when they picked Jill up later that day.

Really though, we both think it is a funny demonstration in our differences. Thank you for adding to our enjoyment by voting and sharing your opinions.

And now for the pregnancy comparison. In a previous post, I included a picture of how the pregnancy of Daniel Wells is progressing. A friend on facebook asked if I had one comparing this pregnancy with Jill's. So, I made one comparing just the seventh month of both.


I hadn't compared them visually before, but I had compared them mentally, and that has made me a little . . . sad? anxious? apprehensive?

I was weighed in at the doctor's office this week, and my weight was 161 pounds. I was reading my journal later this week and read that my weight when Jill was born was 162 pounds. ONLY ONE POUND DIFFERENT. This concerns me. I still have nine weeks left to this pregnancy! I tried to think of various reasons.

1. I could just be fatter this time round.
However, if you'll remember my difficult summer of the first trimester and the flu, you will remember that I lost about twenty pounds, so I definitely started this pregnancy skinnier than I began Jill's pregnancy. Also, I did not work out at all during Jill's pregnancy. The extent of my exercise was walking to and from work a few times a week, which was . . . I don't know how far, but it never raised my heart rate or anything. This pregnancy though I have been working out daily (with the exception of being sick this week and Thanksgiving weekend) since the middle of October. Lots of working out. One mile on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 40 to 50 minutes of Zumba on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. So, I'm exercising way more, so I shouldn't be fatter. I have no idea whether I am eating less healthily, but I don't really eat very poorly in general, so I would be surprised if I were.

2. Daniel Wells could already be a bigger baby than Jill Halley was.
That somewhat terrifies me. Jill's delivery was not ideal. Forceps were used, and I tore quite a bit. She was only 6 pounds 11 ounces. I don't really want to think about delivering a baby larger than her. I don't think I have room! I have heard that since it is the second time, my body might be better at making room for a baby, so I pray that will be the case with me. I have had many friends survive Cesarean sections; Maybe I'll end up with one of those if Daniel Wells keeps growing. My mom had three, so I can't really complain if I end up having a C-section. Some of my friends even prefer them (the scheduled kind—not the emergency kind).

Part of me wonders if Daniel Wells just grew faster earlier, and I won't gain much weight in these last two months, but from what I've read the baby usually grows the most during these months. Some even gain a pound a week near the very end.

So, I'm not really a fan of either reason why this pregnancy weighs in two months ahead of my previous pregnancy. I am, however, incredibly grateful to be pregnant. I can't help but think about my miscarriage earlier this year and how I would already be holding a baby in my arms if that baby had stayed inside of me.

I am also very grateful to live in this country and time where mortality rates for mothers and babies are so incredibly low. After dealing with severe pre-eclampsia with Jill's delivery, I am very, very grateful for the access we had to doctors and nurses who knew what to do, as well as equipment and medicine that kept Jill and I doing well.

What a blessing to be pregnant. What a blessing to have insurance. What a blessing to have medical care.

(One a side note: Does anyone else think that mortality should stand for the number of lives rather than the number of deaths? I always feel like I am using that word incorrectly, but I just looked it up, and I am not.)

Comments

  1. I have a bit to add... I believe you gain more with boys than girls... well typically for my family that is... my mom (a tiny lady like your self)had two girls then a boy then a girl (me) lol... she only gained the recommended amount with all of us girls, your average 20 lbs or so. with Joe (my brother) she gained 50 pounds!!! she didn't do anything different... he was just a boy :)... so maybe that has a little to do with it as well :) (p.s. she lost the weight, so don't fret if your are)... also you look WAY cute!

    ReplyDelete
  2. funny, other than just your belly, i think you look skinnier this pregnancy. i love your pics!
    i voted opposite than what actually happened but i said neither is gross :) but i would have done what you did.
    i agree with your last paragraph, i would have thought opposite.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's awesome you are staying so active this time! I don't think that more weight gain means it's an unhealthy pregnancy necessarily, I think every one is different, and as long as you are doing the things you need to to stay healthy you should be great! I hope the birth of your baby boy goes smoothly and without complications or a c-section. While I'm happy that I live in a developed nation with access to health care, I am sadly disappointed and disturbed by the attitudes of doctors and many women toward child birth. The facts are that we rank behind 40 (YES 40) other countries in infant mortality rates. The world health organization has a rate of c-sections that should only be at about 8-10 percent for developed nations and ours is over triple that number. The problem in the US is too much intervention in healthy pregnancies. I'm not saying that there are no needs for an OB ever but they are trained in surgeries, not normal childbirth, and will find complications where they often don't exist. I hope you don't take this as attacking toward you, because that is not my intent, I'm just very upset by the state of pregnancy care in our country. We should not have such a high mortality rate, and interventions should be kept to the cases where they are actually needed.

    Oh and I think you look great! I honestly can't tell much of a diff in size so if you say you are bigger it's not noticeable!

    ReplyDelete
  4. And I want to add that I'm glad on your last birth and pregnancy you were able to get the care you needed to have a healthy birth and baby because those things are important, and you definitely fell into the category of necessary intervention.

    ReplyDelete
  5. And I mean we rank behind 40 other countries in maternal health! Ahhhh it's been an exhausting day for me today, and I got stuck on infant mortality, which yes, I've thought before should be a different word. But we do have the second worst mortality rate of all industrialized countries, and it's a shame, because we could be better.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

What's on your mind?